Home
by CarlaPeterLove
Summary: Sometimes it's not the destination that's important... it's the journey that it took to get there.


_I'm not quite sure where this idea came from but enjoy... and review of course :)_

* * *

London Euston To Manchester Piccadilly was actually a rather pleasant journey and it was a journey that Carla Connor truly didn't mind making.

It was long enough to get a decent amount of work done but not so long that it tended to drag on and on.

After a long weekend in London for business, Carla was armed with her headphones and was sat in her pre-booked window seat ready to make her way back up north. Her train was due to leave in ten minutes and she was secretly hoping that even though the seat next to her said that it had been reserved, that it would remain empty. This didn't look too likely though as it was a Sunday evening and the train was pretty much packed and full of people who were obviously making their way home after a weekend away.

As the train began to leave the station Carla was amazed to see that the seat next to her was still empty and assumed that who ever had booked seat fifteen, had unfortunately missed their train.

She got out her phone and sent her boyfriend Nick a text message to say that she had just left the station and that she would be home soon. If she managed to get cab quickly enough, she'd be home and in his arms in less than three hours.

It wasn't long before Carla had received a message from Nick, which said that he couldn't wait to see her, she happily smiled down at it, still unused to having someone like Nick in her life, someone who truly seemed to care about her and yet bring no drama with it.

Months had gone by and he wasn't bored of her yet, he wasn't scared by her either and Carla was really starting to see a future with this delightful man.

She was looking down into her bag, just about to get her laptop out and get on with some work, when out of the corner of her eye she saw someone put a jacket on the seat next to her. She rolled her eyes to herself, guessing that whoever's seat it was, had arrived.

It wasn't that Carla didn't like sitting next to people, it was just that she preferred to have her own space to work in and to not have someone looking over at her laptop and being nosy like they normally did.

On the way there she was sat next to a woman who kept looking over at what she was typing, opposite another woman had a baby with her and that baby had spent most of the journey glaring at Carla or crying loudly, so much so that Carla couldn't concentrate on her work and gave up in the end.

Carla decided that who ever the person that was going to be sitting next to her on this journey, couldn't be as bad as the screeching baby. She looked to take a look the stranger who had been the one to book the seat next to her.

It was a man, he had his back to Carla and was putting a bag in the compartment above the seats. Carla casually watched as this man, who was dressed in jeans and a black T shirt put his bag away and then turned around.

His brown eyes were wide, his expression was shocked. He stared at Carla. He looked at her light brown hair, so different to what it used to be yet everything else about her was the same. Her lips, her eyes, her cheekbones, everything.

Carla was shocked too, her mouth was slightly open as she stared ahead.

This man was no stranger to Carla he was her husband.

Peter Barlow.

Time seemed to stop for a moment whilst the two ex lovers looked at it each other in shock. Maybe it was because they really weren't expecting to see each other or maybe it was because neither one of them had realised that even after so long, they still had an overwhelming effect on one another.

The next two hours and nine minutes were going to be very interesting.

"Hi…" Carla eventually said, Peter who was still stunned, looked down at the packed train and knew that he really had no other option to sit next to his ex.

"Hello Carla." He said picking up his jacket and sitting down next to her. Trains are hardly known for having lots of space, so their knees ended up squashed against each other and their arms was just barley touching.

There was a slight silence as they both got their breathing right again and also as they tried to get used to the idea of being thrown back together on this train journey.

What were the chances that they would have booked the same train and booked the same carriage, let alone book seats that were next to each other?

Was this purely a coincidence or was it fate?

"Well… This is weird." Carla said awkwardly. She had a thousand and one questions but could barley get a single one out.

"I could go n see if there's another seat in another carriage?" Peter began but Carla shook her head and said an almost too enthusiastic.

"No."

"No…" Peter said watching her.

"Yeah…." Carla nodded, "You booked this seat right? So you have to sit ere… The ticket guys are real sticklers for that kind of thing… besides the train looks pretty busy… I don't think that you would find another seat."

"I'm lucky I even got on this to be honest…" Peter began, feeling slightly more at ease now those first few scary seconds seemed to be over and especially now that he seemed to have Carla's permission to sit next to her. "I hadn't realised the time n had to run down the platform like a mad man just to get on ere." Carla smiled down to her lap and said,

"Hmmm and what would a chain smoking, unorganised man like your self, be doing outside? I wonder."

"Guilty." Peter nodded at her.

"Nothing's changed there then." Carla said quietly.

As the train well on truly got on its way out of London, Carla and Peter were soon sat in an excruciating silence and neither one of them had the courage to speak again first.

They couldn't work out what had happened because things seemed to be going quite well at first. They were getting along and talking and now… silence.

Carla had thought about getting out her laptop and doing some work but she knew that her level of concentration would definitely be zero. She tried to look out of the window instead, to look at the world that was whizzing past her but her gaze kept being diverted to the man sitting next to her. She tried not to look, she really did but his presence was slowly beginning to consume her thoughts.

Ten minutes went by and Carla was unintentionally staring at how tanned Peter was when he turned to look at her. Their eyes met for a second and then they both quickly looked away. Carla sighed as the silence between them continued and she eventually said,

"Peter, This is ridiculous… We're sitting ere like a pair of strangers n we're not strangers… I mean we used to be mates… Best mates."

"I know…" Peter nodded, looking at Carla with a sad smile. "I miss that… I miss… you." He then bit his lip slightly, wondering if he'd crossed the line with that last bit. Carla swallowed and nodded at him, she didn't have to tell Peter that she had missed him as well, it was mighty clear by the look on her face.

"Can I ask you something?" Carla eventually said, turning her body slightly so that she was sat towards him rather than next to him. Peter nodded nervously and said,

"Sure."

"When you came back… y'know for Deirdre's funeral…" Carla stopped talking. She didn't quite know how to ask Peter why the hell he didn't come to find her without it sounding completely selfish.

"I didn't want to intrude." Peter said knowing exactly what Carla was thinking. "I thought about going to see you but something told me not to… If I'm honest I didn't want to hear you say that you didn't want to see me."

"Okay…" Carla nodded at him in an understanding manner.

"What would you ave done… if I'd ave turned up on your doorstep that night?" Peter asked, Carla shrugged and thought about what would have happened if after that long day of heavy drinking and gambling, Peter had knocked on her door.

Then again she didn't have a door at that time, she was still staying at Roy's, still to blame for the fire, still a complete and utter mess.

"I… don't know… I was a state back then if I'm honest with ya Peter… I wasn't myself so I really don't know what I would ave done… all I know is that walking past you like that was one of the hardest things that I ave ever done." Carla said quietly, as if saying it in a small voice made everything mean less to her. She swallowed hard and decided to change the topic of conversation slightly, as it was suddenly getting a little too uncomfortable between them again. "So… Last I heard you were in Antigua, how d'ya end up in London?"

"Well Antigua was never really a permanent thing, there's a couple of other places they want me to go but for now I'm just taking a little break... anyway I thought I'd go and stay with me Dad for a while and had a flight booked to Manchester but it got cancelled, luckily I managed to get on the next flight ere and then get a seat on this train." Peter said sighing, although he still wasn't sure if it had to do with luck or fate. "How about you? How comes you're in London?"

"Factory business, Aidan's got me running all over the country, lazy beggar won't go any further than Stockport for a meeting." Said Carla.

"Aidan… Wait, Michelle's cousin?" Peter said, remembering an Aidan from a party he'd once gone to many years ago.

"Yeah he's… Sort of invested in the business." Carla said treading carefully at first, not wanting to give too much away.

"Invested?" Peter said, "Why what happened?"

"Nothing happened… well not really, I just ran into a few… financial problems at Underworld that's all." Carla said, although she knew that Peter could still read her like a book and that he didn't seem very convinced that "nothing" happened.

"Okay..." Peter said, he could tell that Carla didn't really want to talk about it but to his surprise she soon started telling him everything.

Carla told him about the fire, about the gambling, about the drinking and about her harrowing thoughts of suicide. She didn't even realise that she was doing it at first but she spoke on and on about everything that had happened to her over the past few months.

Well she almost spoke about everything… She didn't tell Peter about Nick.

It wasn't that she left him out on purpose it was just that with every understanding nod that Peter gave her and with every supportive comment he made, Carla just didn't feel like it was the right time to start talking about her new found love.

As much as Peter hurt and betrayed her, she didn't think she could break the news to him that she was now dating his ex wife's, ex husband.

"So yeah… That's how Aidan found his way to Weatherfield." Carla said and it was as if she had just realised how long she had been rambling on because she gave Peter a sheepish grin, "I realise you didn't ask to hear me whole life story."

"No it's fine." Peter chuckled, "It's actually really good to hear."

"Okay…" Carla frowned slightly and Peter chuckled again.

"I don't mean it's good to hear that you've had such a hard time of it... but it's good to hear that you've picked yourself back up again. You're a proper fighter Carla, I've always admired that about you… Amongst other things of course." He grinned.

Carla felt her cheeks go pink as Peter complimented her and as the ticket inspector stopped at their table and asked to see their tickets.

"Told you." She said smugly. Peter smiled at her and showed his ticket to the inspector. "So… How was life in Antigua then?" She asked as the inspector walked to the passengers next to them.

"Good… a lot of hard work but it's what I needed, to keep busy y'know." Peter said.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't jealous when I heard that's where you were working, I mean Antigua… I've always wanted to go there." Said Carla wistfully.

"Who told you about it?" Peter asked because he hadn't spoken to Carla since she'd left him sat on the bench outside Audrey's with Simon way back in November and he wondered who it was who was obviously talking about him.

"Your Dad." Carla said, "I ask him about you and he said that's where you were."

"You… Ask about me?" Peter said surprised, one because he didn't think she would have even shown an interest and two because his Dad hadn't mentioned it.

"From time to time I do..." Carla smiled, "It's kinda me and your Dad's little secret if I'm honest." It was true, Ken and Carla would sometimes have little conversations about Peter and they truly were conversations that no one else knew about.

"Can't ave people thinking that you missed me eh?" Peter said but he was smiling so Carla knew he wasn't being serious.

"Exactly." She grinned.

Neither one of them said it, but it was clear that they were both enjoying their unexpected reunion and as their train sped out of London they chatted some more.

They talked about serious stuff like Peter's drinking and how he's stayed sober since he left prison and then they talked about trivial stuff like what shows they'd been watching on TV and what music they have been enjoying.

Carla said the first time she heard the song Take Me To Church, for some reason she thought of Peter and he said the first time he watched the TV show Orange Is The New Black that he thought about how much she would have loved it, especially when they opened up a knicker factory in it.

They soon began talking about the residents of Weatherfield and Peter was individually asking how Michelle, Steve, and Leanne seemed to be doing, he then took a deep breath and asked,

"And how's… Nick?"

Nick?

 _"Why would he ask about Nick?"_ Carla thought to herself.

Not unless he knew.

"Nick?" Carla said as casually as she could.

"Yeah… Nick… your boyfriend... One of us had to mention him at some point eh?"

So he did know.

Carla bit her lip for a second and wondered who told him about Nick, Tracy maybe? Or Ken? Maybe even Leanne.

"Nick's… Good." She said awkwardly. There was a small silence but Carla didn't want it to turn into another long one so she bit the bullet and asked, "How do you know about Nick?"

"Simon." Peter said.

"Simon?"

"Yeah… I errr got this phone call from him a few weeks back. He were in a right state, crying and telling me that I had to come home, that everything was wrong and that it was all my fault. He then said you and Nick were together as a couple and how it was all down to me." Peter explained. Carla could tell that this conversation was painful for Peter and didn't want to push her luck by asking him more questions so she kept quiet for a moment. "I dunno… I think he only told me about Nick because he wanted me to come back." Peter added, "I think he thought I'd be completely heartbroken and that I'd come back for you."

"Really?" Carla said awkwardly, she wondered for a second if that was maybe the reason that Peter had come back but then decided that that would have been ridiculous. "So… Does Si know that you're on your way back ere then?"

"No… It's a surprise actually." Peter said. Carla nodded at him and then he said, "I'm glad you're with Nick."

"What!" Carla almost cried, how on earth could Peter Barlow be glad that she was with Nick Tilsley.

"Well…" Peter chuckled at her state of shock. "Maybe I'm not glad that you've chosen to be with Nick flamin Tilsey… maybe I'm actually a little gutted about that but I am glad that you are happy… You truly deserve happiness Carla."

Carla smiled at Peter but it wasn't an overjoyed smile, it wasn't even a pleased smile, it was a sad smile.

For some reason Peter being happy for her made bit her sad. Not because she wanted to see Peter to be angry or even that she wanted him to be sad but more because it seemed like he had moved on.

What Carla didn't know was that Peter hadn't moved on from her. Of course he hadn't, in fact when he heard the news from Simon that Carla and Nick were an item and after he hung up the phone… He cried like a baby. It took him days to get over it and the only reason he hadn't said more on the matter to Carla was because he knew that he had Absolutely no right to say anything to her about who she chose to be with... However Peter being Peter, he had to eventually thrown in,

"Do me a favour though…"

"What?" Carla asked bewilderedly,

"Well I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss having a good old punch up with Nick Tilsley, so if he starts messing you about let me know… okay?" Peter said mischievously, he hoped Carla would take it as a joke and not as a reminder that _he_ had been the one to mess her about and that he actually had a cheek to talk about Nick doing the same thing.

"Sure thing." Carla laughed not taking it seriously at all but there was something else that she wanted to ask, something slightly nosy but something that she was deeply curious about. "So… Are you seeing anyone at the moment then?" She eventually asked. Peter shook his head slowly and said,

"Not any more."

"Not… any more?" Carla asked.

"Yeah… I mean I was kind of dating someone back in Antigua but I ended it."

"Why… I mean what were wrong with her?" Carla asked,

"Nothing…" Peter chuckled, "It just didn't feel right to be honest… I liked her but she wasn't…"

"What?" Carla asked, not quite catching Peter's drift.

"You." Peter said softly but without a hint of sadness, in fact he was smiling at Carla again.

"Okay…" Carla said, smiling back at him and then taking a deep breath, "Well... now… that I've made things awkward I'm gonna go n get a coffee." She went to get up out of her seat but Peter shook his head at her,

"I'll go." He insisted but Carla shook her back head at him,

"No it's fine… I wanna look at the snacks they ave anyway."

In the end they both walked down their carriage and to the little shop that was they had said on the train. Carla and Peter both ordered coffees and something little to eat, Carla a chocolate and Peter with a packet of crisps and after much deliberation Peter was allowed to pay for everything.

They strolled back to their seats on the train and tried their best not to let their previous topic of conversation affect them.

They sipped coffee companionably and Carla was busy gazing out of the window, when she said,

"How come the further up north we get, the greyer that it gets… I mean what is that about?" Peter took a look out the window also, although his gaze couldn't help but stray over to Carla instead, she was unaware that he was staring and continued to look at the grey skies, "I mean not that the weather in London was particularly great but still… this is just depressing."

"Sorry Carla… but I gotta be honest I'm kinda loving how grey it is, it makes a change. Its actually really unsettling being in sunshine all the time." Peter said, Carla rolled her eyes and turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh poor you…" She said with a grin.

"I'm being serious,as crazy as it sounds grey skies mean home, grey skies mean that soon I'll be walking down those cobbles and breathing in that lovely Weatherfield smog." Peter said longingly, he then grinned again at Carla's expression.

"Yeah yeah." She said sighing, "I'd give anything to get away for a bit."

"Well why don't you?" Peter asked, Carla shook her head a little and then sighed,

"It's not really the right time, I mean the factory is just getting back on its feet after I cocked everything up… I can't really take a holiday right now, it would be what Aidan calls, irresponsible… but hey maybe me n you should trade jobs for a while." Peter laughed as Carla continued, "I'm serious, seeing as you love Weatherfield so much, you can ave Underworld whilst I sun it up, in what ever exotic location you're planning on going to next."

"Oh no…" Peter said still amused but shaking his head all the same, "I wouldn't trust me with your business, I mean look what I did to the bookies."

"Peter you did a perfectly fine job when you worked at the factory before so I reckon you'd be okay." Carla said, "Y'know I could just see me self on one of those luxury yachts, getting my tan on with a cocktail in one hand and one of those pretty fold up fans in the other."

"You know there would be some work involved, it's not all sun, sea and swimming.." Peter laughed again and so did Carla this time, "Besides what would Nick do with out ya?"

"Oh he could come n visit." Carla said nodding, although it had become clear to Carla when her and Nick were talking that he hated sunbathing and those type of beach holidays where you just do nothing for most of it, he liked the kind of holidays where you sight saw, and had activities planned for everyday.

"Yeah he could bring the whole family… I can just see Gail Platt in her bikini going snorkelling actually." Peter said putting a very disturbing image in his and Carla's head. They both burst into fits laughter and finished their coffees as it actually began raining. Carla sighed and shook her head as rain pelted against the train windows.

"I reckon that's your fault y'know..." She grinned nodding towards the rain-splattered window. Peter laughed silently as she opened her Kit Kat and began eating it.

A little while later Carla and Peter both found them selves in silence but it wasn't so deafening as before and as they got closer to home Carla wondered just how Peter was planning on getting back to Coronation Street.

"D'ya wanna share a cab?" She asked, Peter was rather astonished that Carla would have suggested this so he took a moment to answer her.

"Well I was planning on getting me own cab." He began,

"You wanted to get your own cab when we're both going to the same place? Tut tut Peter." Carla said shaking her head, "Honestly… think of the ozone layer." she added.

"Y'know if I didn't know any better I'd say you were just trying to spend more time with me…" Peter began, Carla rolled her eyes as he then said, "Besides I don't think that cars actually effect the Ozone layer." Peter chuckled,

"Well what ever they do, it can't be good for the environment to ave the two of us going to the same place in separate vehicles." Carla said with a grin. She didn't want to admit that the closer they got to home, the more she realised her time with Peter was almost up and she was trying to stretch out her time with him as much as she could. Peter watched her for a moment, almost as if he was reading her mind. "So… are we getting a cab together or not?"

"Looks like we are." Peter said with a smile.

"Good." Carla said with a triumphant grin.

* * *

After more banter filled conversation and after another coffee their train soon made it's way into Manchester Piccadilly and as various train passengers started getting up and gathering together their belongings, Carla sighed as she the train pulled up to the platform.

"Home sweet home eh?" Peter said staring out the window.

"Yeah…" Carla said with slight tone of discontent to her voice. The train stopped and as Peter got up to start gathering together his things, Carla then said, "Trust us to be on the carriage that's the furthest away from the exit." She got up off her seat as Peter looked down at her sky-high heels,

"Y'know if we didn't have a whole load of luggage I'd offer to give you a piggy back." He said with a cheeky grin. Carla giggled as he reached up and pulled down his bag and then her luggage that she'd left stored over-head as well.

"Well aren't you a gent." She said as he handed it to her. She then followed him down the carriage to where he'd left his suitcase. "Y'know what Peter, I'm just in the way ere… I'm gonna get off n meet you on the platform." Carla said as various people were squeezing past her and one guy even stood on her foot.

"Okay love." Peter said, absentmindedly adding the love on the end of his sentence without even thinking it. Carla smiled warmly at this and began making her way towards the doors of the train.

For a moment Peter wondered if she had just made up an excuse, if that when he was off the train she would have made a run for it and that the whole way back from London that she was just being polite but sure enough as he struggled off the train with a huge suitcase and his rucksack, there was Carla standing on the platform with her handbag in one hand and her little suitcase in the other.

"You ready?" She said brightly, Peter nodded at her as they began walking up the platform together. "Simon is going to be dead pleased to see ya." Carla said as her and Peter got closer to the inspectors that were checking everyone's tickets. Peter smiled excitedly at the idea of seeing Simon again but his smile was short lived when he looked past the inspectors and saw who was standing just a little further away from them.

"Is… that who I think it is?" Peter asked, Carla followed his gaze over to the man who was stood in a grey suit, on the phone and obviously waiting for her.

"Nick…" Carla sighed and hadn't meant it to sound as ungrateful as it did. Three hours ago she would have been ecstatic to see that Nick had come to pick her up, she would have ran straight into his arms and hugged him tight but now she couldn't help but feel slightly disheartened to see him and as she looked at Peter she could instantly tell what he was thinking.

"Looks like I'll be getting that cab on me own after all." He said,

"You don't ave to…" Carla began rather hopelessly, "I mean... we could give you a lift." She suggested although she knew that there was no way Peter would be getting into Nick's car and she wasn't quite sure how Nick would react to find out she had just spent the past two hours sat next to Peter.

"Yeah I doubt that'll be happening to be honest." Peter said with half a grin.

They had both stopped walking and let the crowds of people walk past them for a moment.

The air was full of disappointment as they both realised that this would probably have to be goodbye.

"I'll let you go first…" Peter eventually said nodding towards Nick. "It was really good to be sat next to you though."

"Yeah you too…" Carla said watching Nick who was still too preoccupied on his phone to even noticed that Carla was stood chatting with her ex. She went to walk away but then she stopped and turned to Peter again. "Just so you know… I missed you n all." She said sincerely, she went to walk away but then stopped once more, she looked rather comical stopping and starting like that and as Peter stifled in a laugh she rolled her eyes and asked, "D'ya… wanna go for a drink or summat?"

"A drink?" Peter said with an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah…" Carla nodded sheepishly at him, "Y'know once you're settled n everything."

"I dunno… I mean what would Nick say?" Peter said glancing at Nick in the distance.

"I don't ave to ask him permission to go for a drink Peter." Carla said watching him intently,

"Well in that case… sure. We'll go for a drink." Peter said complacently, he knew it was going to be hard to see Carla with Nick, in fact it would be more than hard, it would be downright impossible but to have her as a friend was better than to not have her in his life at all.

"Good." Carla smiled, "Well I'll see ya around then." She said leaning forward and giving Peter a rather unexpected hug. He put an arm around her waist and held her close for a moment.

"Not if I see you first." He grinned.

Carla let go of him and gave him one last smile before taking her suitcase and walking towards the platform exit. She showed her ticket to the inspector just as Nick got off the phone.

"Hey…" He said with a huge grin on his face, he looked completely and utterly thrilled to see Carla, who let go of her suitcase and threw her arms around him.

"Nicholas." She beamed as squeezed her tight and actually lifted her right up and off her feet.

"I know you were only gone for three days but I've missed you so much." Nick said with Carla still in his arms.

"I missed you too." She said as Nick put her down and took hold of her suitcase.

"So, how was the journey?" Nick asked putting an arm around her as they began walking towards the exit of the train station. Carla glanced behind her and looked at Peter who was just showing his ticket to the inspectors.

"It was... surprisingly wonderful actually." Carla said turning back to Nick.

"Good…" Nick said watching Carla because whilst she looked happy, there was a certain look of disappointment to her as well. "And you're happy to back?" he asked as un be known to him, Peter was only slightly behind them now.

"Yeah of course." Carla insisted, as Peter made sure he that wasn't seen by Nick as he walked on and in front of them. "It's... good to be home." She nodded as Peter slowly but surely disappeared into the crowd ahead.


End file.
